Fastener



Nov: 1,-1927. 1,647,772

F. s. CARR FASTENER Filed June 14.. 1924 Zyfllyg v Patented N ov. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,647,772 PATENT OFFICE.

FRED S CARR, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR'T'O CARR FASTENER COM- PANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FASTENER.

Application led .Tune 14,

This invention aims to provide an improved separable fastener.

In the drawings, which show one illustrative embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred form of -my invent-ion;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the fastener showing the socket attached to the stud, the body of the car being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a section partly in elevation on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, and shows the stud as it appears when ready for withdrawal from the socket, the locking part being in unlocked. position;

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the .contractible and expansible socket-engaging member;

Fig. 6 is a section von the line 6-6 of Fig. 7 is a .section on the `line 7 7 of Fig. 4, showing the means for attaching the socket to its support;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the socket as attached to a support, the support being shown in cross-section; v

Fig. vv9 is a rear elevation of the stud ibefore assembly with a support; and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail of one of the attaching prongs of the socket.

Referring to the drawings and to the preferred form of my invention, I have shown the sheet metal side 8 of an automobile presenting a socket-receiving aperture therethrough for reception of a flush-type socket.

The socket includes a body part 9 presenting a plurality of resilient prongs 10 extending outwardly from said body part and generally tangential relative thereto. Each prong present-s a generally tapered edge at one side thereof. The prongs prov-ide a convenient means for attaching the socket 'to the side 8 of the car inasmuch as the socket may be forced through the socket-receiving f aperture by a relative turning movement' of the socket. This movement causes the prongs to be entered in the socket-receiving aperture and the tapered edges of the prongs first engage the wall of the aperture adjacent the body of the car thereby gradually bending the prongs inwardly until they are iiush with the body of the socket. The socket may then be forced through the aperture until the flange 11, located at the outer end ofthe socket, seats against the front face 1924. .Serial No. 719,917.

of the side L8 of the automobile. The prongs then 'springk outwardly and the edge adjacent the liange 11 engages the inside Vface of the side L8, thus holding the socket firmly in position. Thus the prongs, as illustrated, are adapted to flex upon aline generally parallel to the 'line .of the flange 11.

The preferred form of .socket .also includes a front plate V12 secured tothe body vpart `9 of the socket and presenting a stud-receiving aperture surrounded by :an inwardly bent rounded peripheral wall 13. Inside the socket, I have provided .a .sealing .disc 14 normally seated against the inner periphery of .the wall 13 by a spring 15. Thus dust and dirt are excluded from the socket when a stud is not secured thereto.

The preferred form of stud may ybe secured to .a stud-carryingv medium, hereinV shown as the curtain 16 of an automobile, in any suitable manner, but I prefer .to secure it thereto by a preferred form -of a-ttaching means, which includes a front plate 18 presenting a plurality of short prongs 19 and long prongs 20. The long prongs'20 are forced through the curtain and thereafter bent downwardly over .the periphery of a Vback plate 21 and are clenched .thereagainst as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

The stud also presents a socket-engaging part which is preferably struck up from a base 22 and vis slotted throughout its entire length, as illustrated, to provide four resilient vparts which present a neck 23 for -engagement with the wall 13, surrounding .the stud-receiving aperture. I/Vhile the socketengaging part may be held :in engagement with the socket by its own resiliency, I prefer toprovide a locking member 24 located on the aXisof the stud and presenting a sloping head 25 which normally engages the reversely bent portions 26 of the head ofthe socket-engaging part, thereby preventing contraction thereof. The sloping head preferably engages the reversely bent portions beyond the neck and toward the socket, thereby supporting that part of the socketengaging part which has a tendency to contract when a strain is exerted on the curtain. The locking member also presents a press-'button 27 which protrudes through an aperture in the front plate 18. To maintain the press-button 27 and sloping head 25 in normal position, I have provided a spring 28 which is preferably seated at one (ill end against the reversely bent portions 2G and at the other end against the press-button, thereby urging the locking member into normal locking position.

Assuming the parts of the stud to be unassembled, the assembly thereof is by lirst placing the spring 28 over the sloping head 25 of the locking member 2st, then placing those two parts into the socket-engaging part by forcing the head 25 between the reversely bent portions 2G and then placing the front plate 18 over the press-button 27 and bending the short prongs 19 over the periphery of the base 22 and against the face thereof, thus holding all of the parts in assembled relation. By assembling all of the parts of the stud as a unit, at the point of manufacture, the assembly thereof to the curtain is very much simplified.

Engagement ofthe stud with the socket is effected by pressing upon the press-button and urging the stud toward the stud-receiving aperture. The end of the socket-engaging member is thereby moved into engagement with the wall 13 surrounding the stud-receiving aperture and further pressure urges the sloping head 25 out of engagement with the reversely bent portions 2G thereby per-- mitting the socket-engaging part to contract and enter into stud-receiving aperture until the neck 23 is opposite the wall i3. The socket-engaging part then expands and when pressure is released on the press-button 2T the spring 28 urges the sloping head into locking engagement with the socket-engaging part. Thus the stud is locked with the socket and cannot be separated therefrom by a strain exerted upon the curtain in any direction.

Separation of the stud fron'i the socket may be effected by grasping the` lower edge of the curtain and exerting a slight pull thereon, at the same time pressing the pressbutton to displace the locking means thereby permitting contraction of the socket-engaging part for withdrawal thereof from the stud-receiving aperture.

. While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it should beunderstood that changes involving omission, alteration, substitution and reversal of parts, and even changes in mode of operation, may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, which is best defined in the following claims.

Claims:

l. A stud for a separable fastener including a socket-engaging portion contractible and expansible on all sides thereof, a reciprocable locking part forming part of the stud assembly and located at the end of the socket-engaging portion, said locking part normally preventing contraction of said socket-engaging portion and a manually operable press-button also forming part of the stud assembly, said press-button being located at the opposite end of said stud from said locking part for displacing said locking part beyond the free end of said socketengaging portion to permit contraction thereof.

2. A stud for a separable fastener including a base portion, a head, a neck and a shank portion contractible and expansible on all sides thereof and a spring-pressed part located axially within said stud, said springpressed part presenting a locking portion normally engaging said head to prevent contraction thereof and a press-button portion protruding from said shank adjacent said base for moving said locking portion beyond the free end of said head to permit contraction of said head, neck and shanl 3. A stud for a separable fastener including a socket-engaging head contractible and eXpansible at all sides thereof, reversely bent portions at the inner face of said head and a locking member having a sloping part for engagement with said reversely bent portions to prevent contraction of said head, and a press-button integral with said locking member, said press-button manually operable to displace said sloping part beyond the free end of said reversely bent portions to permit contraction of said head, said locking part and press-button forming part of the stud assembly.

4. A stud for a separable fastener including a resilient socket-engaging part having a base portion integral therewith, a front plate presenting a plurality of portions bent over the edge of said base portion to secure said front plate thereto, and a plurality of attaching prongs between said portions for securing the parts of said stud as a unit to a support.

5. A stud for a separable fastener including a resilient socket-engaging part having a base portion integral therewith, reciprocable means extending into said socket-engaging part, a front plate presenting a plurality of portions bent over the edge of said base portion to secure said front plate thereto, and al plurality of attaching prongs between said portions for securing the parts of said stud as a unit to a support.

6, A stud for a. separable fastener including a contractible and eXpansible socketengaging part presenting a base integral therewith, locking means within said socketengaging part for preventing contraction thereof, a front plate presenting a plurality of prongs bent over the edge of said base to secure the parts of said stud together as a. unit, and a plurality of prongs between said lirst-mentioned prongs for securing said stud unit to a support.

7. A flush-type socket including a casing presenting a plurality of resilient prongs for securing said casing to a support and lll) a flange located at the outer end of said casing, said prongs adapted to flex on a plane parallel with the plane of said flange thereby to provide a fixed distance between said flange and the support-engaging edge of each prong.

8. A socket for a separable fastener including a casing presenting a plurality of resilient prongs normally extending out` wardly from said casing, said prongs extending generally tangential from said casing and adapted to be resiliently pressed toward said casing by rotation of said casing when forced through a socket-receiving aperture in a support.

9. A socket for a separable fastener in cluding a casing presenting a plurality of resilient prongs normally extending outwardly from said casing, said prongs extending generally tangentially from said casing and adapted to be resliently pressed toward'said casing by rotation of said casing when forced through a socket-receiving aperture in a support.

l0. A socket for a separable fastener including a easing presenting a plurality of Vresilient prongs for attaching said casing to a support, each of said prongs presenting during entrance thereof in a socket-receiving aperture a tapered edge for engagement with the wall surrounding the aperture thereby gradually to spring said prongs toward said casing when said casing is rotated relative to the support thereby permitting passage of said casing through the socket-receiving aperture, said prongs, when past the wall of said aperture, adapted to spring outwardly and engage with the inner face of the support.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRED S. CARR. 

